2010 Till Forevs: The Letterpress Invites

In late 2009, I sent Joey a message on Facebook. Though I’d known him for years through some friends of friends, I hadn’t realized that he made really cool art. I loved making art, too and was curious to chat about his style and process.

One quick drink that fateful night turned into five dates over the next month. He moved into my place 4 months later and within 9 months of that meeting, we were married. Things moved quickly by anyone’s standards but I wasn’t worried — I’d learned to trust my intuition and have always lived by the premise that when things feel right in life, you’ve just gotta go for it.

I’ve never been known to be traditional and I wasn’t about to start with our wedding. We had basically no budget and the thought of running up debt for our special day just didn’t feel like a smart start to our life together. Instead, we flew to Vegas in September of 2010 with my BFF Bianca in tow and headed downtown for a quick ceremony in a chapel next to a pawn shop. It was short, sweet and full of lots of laughs. We did things our way and I don’t regret it at all.

A few years after we were married, I was walking through Nordstrom when I spotted a dress on the mannequin with a bold, chartreuse stripe cutting through the middle. It was perfect for a trip I was taking to Palm Springs the next day to shoot promotional photos with Made U Look. I bought it on the spot.

Little did I know at the time that a single dress would end up inspiring our 5th anniversary party invites. Joey and I never had a celebration for our families and skipped taking a honeymoon. We passed on a lot of the more common wedding basics and I love a good excuse to throw a party so 5 years in, we are hosting a backyard gathering in September and inviting all our loved ones.

And, it just happens that I’m really good friends with a letterpress shop in town, Darling Press. Our upcoming party felt like the perfect opportunity to embrace some special touches and design a letterpress piece my family could keep forever. Last week, I brought in my dress and we color matched the chartreuse stripe to the edges for a perfect match.

After our backyard party with our families, Joey and I are flying to Palm Springs to relax and commemorate our 5 years of marriage and it’s the perfect opportunity to bring that aforementioned dress along to once again shoot with Made U Look. This time, I’m even going to have a legit bouquet! 😉

It’s funny how everything works out. I’m glad we went with what we had at the time. Having a limited budget and little time never impacted how we felt about our day or each other. Without all the flash and distractions, it allowed us to focus on what mattered most: our relationship.

Five years in, this all feels right.

Whatever your plans are, always make sure that outside pressures don’t get in the way. Do things exactly the way you want — it’s your special day, after all.

2010 Till Forevs will be continued later this year with photos from our backyard celebration and also, our shoot in Palm Springs. Thanks for reading!

15 Responses to 2010 Till Forevs: The Letterpress Invites

I LOVE this! It’s so you… and that dress is gorgeous! I’m getting married myself and tempted to do something similar. The idea of spending thousands on a day and inviting a hundred people I hardly know fills me with dread. I love how simple you had your wedding.

Do what feels right for you! People will come around and understand at some point, even if it can sting in the moment. 😉 I always felt uncomfortable with the idea of feeling like I had to “put on a show” for a big group of people and I’m so glad I skipped the usual wedding traditions. Let me know how your big day goes! xoxo

I love this so much! I can resonate because my husband (Joey-small world haha) and I did the same thing for our wedding. Super small, on the spot, didn’t plan shit, and we didn’t care what others thought – it’s the best!

It’s always cool to hear from other people who did the same thing because there seems to be so much pressure out there to make the day big and beautiful which also usually means expensive! Good for you (and Joey!) for doing things your way.

Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Shauna, a graphic designer and entrepreneur. I spend my days as the Creative Director of Branch, a boutique design studio. This is my personal blog, which has been going strong since 2007. I'm obsessed with shoes, llamas and traveling. Read more…

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